Another Gem from Paulo Coehlo
After following Paulo Coehlo on Twitter (@paulocoehlo) I decided to read one of his books. I went to my local library and found "Manuscript Found In Accra," was the only one available at the moment so I went ahead and checked it out. I was delighted to find that this book was full of so many gems! Here's a couple memorable quotes that stood out to me.
Paulo Coelho, Manuscript Found in Accra
Memorable Quotes:
On Solitude:
“The Divine Energy is listening to us as we speak to other people, but also when we are still and silent and able to accept solitude as a blessing.
And in that moment, Its light illuminates everything around us and helps us to see that we are necessary, that our presence on Earth makes an immense difference to Its work.
…
Just as Love is the divine condition, so solitude is the human condition.”
On Feeling Useless:
“A life is never useless. Each soul that came down to Earth is here for a reason.
The people who really help others are not trying to be useful, but are simply leading a useful life. They rarely give advice, but serve as an example.”
On Community:
“Friendship is like a river; it flows around rocks, adapts itself to valleys and mountains, occasionally turns into a pool until the hollow in the ground is full and can continue on its way.
Just as the river never forgets that its goal is the sea, so friendship never forgets that its only reason for existing is to love other people.”
On Elegance:
“Elegance is not a matter of good taste. Every culture has its own idea of beauty, which is often completely different from ours.
But every tribe, every people, has values they associate with elegance: hospitality, respect, good manners.
Arrogance attracts hatred and envy. Elegance arouses respect and Love.
Arrogance causes us to humiliate our fellow man or woman. Elegance teaches us to walk in the light.
Arrogance complicates words, because it believes that intelligence is for only the chosen few. Elegance transforms complex thoughts into something that everyone can understand.
When we are walking our chosen path, we walk elegantly, emanating light.
Our steps are firm, our gaze keen, our movements beautiful. And even at the most difficult moments, our adversaries can see no signs of weakness, because our elegance protects us.
Elegance is accepted and admired because it makes no effort to be elegant.
Only Love gives form to what, once, we could not even dream of.
And only elegance allows that form to be made manifest.”
On Success:
“Do not try to make the road shorter, but travel it in such a way that every action leaves the land more fertile and the landscape more beautiful.
Do not try to be the Master of Time. If you pick the fruit planted too early, it will be green and give pleasure to no one. If, out of fear or insecurity, you decide to put off the moment of making the Offering, the fruit will have rotted.
Therefore, respect the time between sowing and harvesting.”
“I am aware that there are many people more famous than I and, often, that fame is richly deserved. In other cases, it is merely a manifestation of vanity or ambition and will not stand the test of time.
What is success?
It is being able to go to bed each night with your soul at peace.”
On Miracles:
“Help us never to be imprisoned by the things we think we know, because we know so little about Fate. And may this lead us to behave impeccably, making use of the four cardinal virtues: boldness, elegance, love, and friendship.”
On Loyalty:
“Each work of art could easily say: ‘I want to be noticed, and I’m going to get out of here.” But the moment it tries to do that, it will be transformed into a pile of broken shards with no value.
And as it is with vases so it is with men and women. And so it is with tribes and ships and trees and stars.
Once we understand this, we can sit next to our neighbor at the end of the day, listening with respect to what he has to say and saying what he needs to hear. And neither of us will try to impose our ideas on the other.”
On Weapons:
“The true friend is not the one who says: “You wounded me today, and I am sad.”
He says: “You wounded me today for reasons unknown to me and possibly to you as well, but tomorrow I know that I will be able to count on your help. And so I will not be sad.”
And the friend responds: “You are a loyal friend, because you said what you felt. There is nothing worse than a friend who confuses loyalty with accepting our every fault.””
On Enemies:
“If someone confronts you over ideas or ideals, step up and accept the fight, because conflict is present in every moment of our lives and sometimes it needs to show itself in the broad light of day.
But do not fight in order to prove that you are right, or to impose your ideas or ideals on someone else. Accept the fight only as a way of keeping your spirit clean and your will spotless. When the fight is over, both sides will emerge as winners because they tested their limitations and their abilities.”